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“Nurse Darling, would you be so kind as to accompany me for an outing this weekend?”
“I would be delighted, Doctor Watson.”
Even after dating for four months, she was still giddy at the prospect of time with John Watson. She enjoyed being around him both in and out of the clinic, and it seemed as though this outing would be particularly special. Before he arrived to collect her that Saturday Lyra had made some suggestions about her clothing and Alice even offered up her very best hat. Their efforts created a lovely effect which John seemed to appreciate.
“Wendy... I... you look wonderful.”
Blushing, she thanked him and got into his car.
He had deliberately kept their destination a surprise, but curiosity soon soured as they pulled up to the nursing home where her brother lived.
“John, what's going on?”
“I want you to meet someone.”
Taking a deep breath and steeling herself for the despair of this place she walked towards the door.
“He's out back I expect,” said John and he led her towards the rear lawn of the facility. As they approached Wendy saw a small gathering around a man in a motorized wheelchair. Actually, that description did not do the machine justice. It looked like someone had placed a wheelchair in a steel cage and attached a rocket to the back of it.
Her brother was in the wheelchair, with his old fighter helmet on.
For a brief moment her heart stopped, then it raced like she hadn't felt since her first operation. He pulled a lever and the chair shot off like a comet, a plume of smoke and fire trailing behind it. Somehow he managed to make it turn a right angle without losing speed at all, tires squealing tortuously all the while. Soon he was gone from sight but she could hear the roar of the engine and he was fast approaching from behind. Some mad individual had built a ramp and her little brother was aiming the chair right at it! Wendy felt she would die immediately as her brother flew at least twenty feet into the air and sailed double that in length before touching down and coming to a screeching halt two feet in front of her. He was crowing with joy.
“Johnathan Andrew William Darling, don't you EVER do that again!”
“Not a chance Wendy! That was the most pleasure I've had in ages!”
It was true. Despite the heart attack that it had given her, she could see that horrible machine had brought her brother back. She hadn't seen him smile like that in a long time.
“Captain, I see you've taken a liking to your new seat.”
“Oh very much so Major Watson, thank you.”
“Well, I have a friend who owes me some favors. I assume you got the letter as well?”
“Yes and I gladly accept. Thank you.”
“What are you two talking about?” Wendy was irritated that, not only was Watson apparently conspiring with her brother to raise her blood pressure, but he wasn't out of surprises yet.
“Your brother has been recalled to duty, starting this fall he will, at her majesty's request, be enrolled in aviation engineering school.”
“I'm going to fly again Wendy.”
John would fly again? Her crippled brother who could never walk again was going to fly. She hugged him tight and kissed Watson while tears of joy flowed.
“How? How did all this happen?”
“You have some very good friends Ms. Darling. Lyra and Susan in particular. After explaining things to Mycroft... well he wasn't about to let a veteran of your brother's talents stay retired.”
Wendy smiled, and it was then that she noticed something on the wheelchair. Painted on the steel frame was a name.
The Flying Ostrich.
Her brother looked at her.
“Turns out, despite being an ugly bird, it runs splendidly.”
Wendy was already full of joy for her brother and hugged him again.
“Don't you dare drive that thing around the orderlies.”
“I make no promises.”
He was going to be an absolute terror to the nurses now. And she loved him all the same.
“Major Watson, might I have a moment alone with my sister?”
“Yes of course,” and Doctor Watson stepped away a few feet.
Her brother beckoned one of the men who had been there to watch his suicide attempt to come over. He was wore a military coat but there was no insignia of rank.
“Hello ma'am, my name is Captain Jack Harkness.”
He was American, Wendy had heard of an American captain serving in the British military from her flatmates, but certainly their stories were exaggerations.
“Captain Harkness? I feel like we have met before, the girls I live with have mentioned you.”
“Don't believe a word of it ma'am, I'm far more incorrigible than they know.”
Indeed this was the same Jack Harkness, and perhaps there had been no exaggeration.
“To what do I owe the pleasure Captain?”
“I am here as a favor to your brother.”
“John? How does he know you, and what favor would he ask?” She looked towards her brother.
“Not Captain Darling, your youngest brother.” The way Captain Harkness addressed John was unusual for Wendy. Most military men would either address him simply by rank or forgo protocol and use his rank and first name. Captain Harkness seemed to relish the proper, albeit somewhat embarrassing formal protocol.
“Michael? How does he know you?”
“It's in this letter Wendy, Captain Harkness arrived with the news before you came and I read the note just before the Ostrich's maiden flight.”
John handed her a letter which had been tucked away in his breast pocket. She opened the letter and read:
“Wendy and John,
You know that I have always looked up to you. Both of you serving with distinction and
helping others. I have made such a mess of my life and am ashamed of my jealousy of
you both. But now I have a chance to make things right. Captain Harkness has recruited
me to be part of a special task force which will serve to protect the country against
unknown threats. I cannot say more save only that our adventures were part of the
reason he chose me. Thank you for bearing with me when I was such a pig headed prat.
I love you both,
Michael
Wendy felt as if her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught as she read the letter.
“As he said, I cannot discuss with you the details of his assignment, but I would like you to know ma'am, that your brother will be a true hero to this country, though sadly, one who will never be thought of as such save by those who know.” Captain Harkness placed a hand on her shoulder.
“That doesn't matter, Michael is finally getting to be who we always thought he could be.”
“He will be in Cardiff, but I will try to see he has time off for family events.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
As Captain Harkness departed, John Watson came forward.
“You brilliant, astounding man!”
“Oh, so you liked that?”
“You have nearly given me a heart attack twice! And let me ruin all of Lyra's work on my mascara!”
John kissed her on the cheek. “And I have never seen you more lovely.”
The rest of the day passed in a happy dream. Wendy felt as if she were flying again through the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. As it came time for her to retire to her flat she noticed John was driving over to his lodging.
“Doctor Watson. What is this?”
“Just one last surprise Nurse Darling.”
Something about his tone made it sound like this wasn't going to be like the 'surprise' visit they made to the clinic so many months ago. Still, this was awfully forward of him, but the day had gone splendidly and if John had another surprise she wouldn't thwart him. He led her up to his flat, turned on the light, and offered her a chair, then he gave her a present wrapped in green paper with a blue bow. She opened it and discovered that it was a scrap book with the cover “Happy Thoughts”. She opened it:
Capt. John Darling
Protected the units of Allied Forces in the Invasion of Normandy.
She turned the page
Michael Darling
Serving in defense of the people of Earth and Great Britain. Valiantly assisted at the flood of Felixstowe of 1953.
There were so many more names. Several with pictures and their deeds.
Alfred Pennyworth SAS
Col. Michael Banks
James Lethbridge-Stewart
William Hartnell
There were many others. The book was immense, and the names were quite familiar. Many had come through her clinic, or she had worked with in her volunteer hours at St Philip's Orphanage in Kensington.
“John... what is all of this.”
“I know about your other scrap book Wendy. The one you torment yourself with for those you lost. This... this book is the entirety of your service record. Nurse Darling, these are people you saved.”
The book was over twice as thick as the one in her flat. All the names of those she had stitched up in field hospitals on the European front. All of the boys who had come through her orphanage, every patient she had seen in the clinic. All of them and all of the works they had gone on to do was in this record. Wendy barely heard John explain that he had gotten Lyra to reference her old scrapbook and then asked Susan and Mycroft to help compile the information. This was the work of two months. John Watson, this incredible man, hand been working on this testament to her life for two months! Tears flowing down her cheeks she looked up at him again.
“You terrible man, you have ruined my makeup twice in one day.”
John smiled and took the book. He knelt down and turned the book in her lap to the last page.
“Dr. John Watson. Major.
Husband to the incredible Nurse Wendy Moria Angela Darling.”
A ring was taped to the page.